CVE-2009-0108 in PHPAuctions
Summary
by MITRE
PHPAuctions (aka PHPAuctionSystem) allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain administrative access via modified (1) PHPAUCTION_RM_ID, (2) PHPAUCTION_RM_NAME, (3) PHPAUCTION_RM_USERNAME, and (4) PHPAUCTION_RM_EMAIL cookies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0108 affects the PHPAuctions (also known as PHPAuctionSystem) web application, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that enables remote attackers to escalate privileges and gain administrative control. This vulnerability specifically targets the cookie-based authentication mechanism used by the application, exploiting weaknesses in how session management and user identity validation are implemented. The flaw manifests when attackers manipulate four specific cookies: PHPAUCTION_RM_ID, PHPAUCTION_RM_NAME, PHPAUCTION_RM_USERNAME, and PHPAUCTION_RM_EMAIL, which together form the basis of the application's administrative session tracking.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient session integrity checks within the PHPAuctions application. When these cookies are modified by an attacker, the system fails to properly validate the authenticity of the administrative session, allowing unauthorized users to assume administrative privileges without proper authentication. This represents a classic case of insufficient access control validation, where the application trusts cookie values without verifying their legitimacy or origin. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates entirely at the application layer, requiring no special privileges or access to the underlying system, making it accessible to any remote attacker with basic web browsing capabilities.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a severe security risk for organizations using PHPAuctions, as it allows complete compromise of the administrative interface. Attackers can exploit this flaw to modify auction settings, manipulate auction listings, access sensitive user data, and potentially use the administrative account to install malicious code or establish backdoors. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not need physical access to the server or network, enabling exploitation from any location with internet connectivity. This makes the attack surface extremely broad and the potential for damage significant, as successful exploitation provides full administrative control over the auction platform's functionality and data.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and maps to attack patterns in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation for all cookie values, implementing secure session management practices, and ensuring that administrative session tokens are properly validated and authenticated. The recommended fixes involve strengthening the application's cookie validation logic, implementing proper cryptographic signing of session cookies, and ensuring that all administrative actions require multi-factor authentication or additional verification steps beyond simple cookie manipulation. Additionally, regular security audits of session management components and implementation of web application firewalls can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts of this type of vulnerability.